Written Answers

Thursday 24 February 2000

Scottish Executive

Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s decision to allow the continued sale of scallops which have been "shucked" from areas affected by amnesic shellfish poisoning with a view to introducing this policy in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: We have recently sought and received information on the Republic of Ireland’s monitoring and control system for amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). We are advised that the Republic of Ireland either close scallop production areas if results from the whole body exceed the EU action level, or prohibit the sale or use of scallops if results from gonad or muscle exceed the action level.

  The testing regime in Scotland is directed to the gonad since research has shown that, of the most commonly eaten parts of the scallop, this tends to have the highest concentration of toxins. Production areas are closed when levels of toxin in the gonad exceed the EU action level.

Civil Service

Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1O-519 by Donald Dewar on 4 November 1999, what progress it is making in identifying opportunities for the work of Executive and related departments to be located nearer to the communities they serve.

Donald Dewar: The Executive has already announced that around 120 jobs in the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department will move from Edinburgh, making the entire department Glasgow located; and that the new Food Standards Agency, with over 40 posts, will be established in Aberdeen.

  The Executive’s policy on the location and relocation of public service jobs was set out in my reply of 15 September to question S1W-1558. I set out our objectives and our criteria for considering the location of staff, principally that where new units or agencies are set up there will be a presumption against an Edinburgh location and that when a significant property break occurs options outwith Edinburgh will be considered. Opportunities which meet these criteria will be considered on a case-by-case basis consistent with our objectives of efficiency and effectiveness.

Communities

Ms Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to announce the results of the "Make Our Communities Safer" challenge competition.

Angus MacKay: Applications submitted for CCTV and community safety projects under the "Make Our Communities Safer" Challenge Competition are being evaluated. We hope to be able to announce the results shortly.

Community Care

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support mechanisms it presently has in place to support carers within our communities.

Iain Gray: Support for carers is for local authorities as part of their responsibility for community care. The Scottish Executive has allocated almost £800 million grant-aided expenditure to local authorities for community care this financial year. Within that, £5 million is notionally allocated for carers’ services, including respite care. In addition, we have contributed about £220,000 this year to national voluntary organisations representing and supporting carers.

  As part of the Scottish Executive’s Programme for Government, a Strategy for Carers in Scotland was launched on 24 November 1999. The strategy sets out new measures to support both adult and young carers and these are now being taken forward alongside other relevant initiatives already underway. New initiatives include doubling the allocated resources available to local authorities for carers’ services to £10 million, the promotion of new and more flexible services, drawing up legislative proposals, and the provision of better and more targeted information for carers.

Community Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been taken to ensure that all people who would benefit are given the appropriate home care best suited to their needs.

Iain Gray: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that individuals’ community care needs are assessed and met in the most appropriate manner. They have a responsibility to ensure that housing and health colleagues are involved in the assessment procedure. Guidance on these matters has been issued.

  We know that home-based care, combined with suitable housing, is what most people prefer. Modernising Community Care: An Action Plan called for a modern, flexible homecare service, and a shift of community care resources to home-based care. Local authorities’ response to this agenda has been encouraging and we are building on this through an increased incentive fund (£7.5 million in 2000-01).

  The Joint Future Group which I chair will consider what the balance should be between home and residential care and address charging for home care. Its first meeting was held on 22 February.

Education

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to assist local authorities to maintain an appropriate number of supply teachers.

Peter Peacock: We have given guidance on this to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. Student intakes to courses of initial teacher education in 1999-2000 took account of this guidance and the Funding Council will be taking similar action for intakes in 2000-01.

Education

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures are being introduced to address school exclusions.

Peter Peacock: A wide range of initiatives are being developed by education authorities supported by funding from the Scottish Executive under the Alternatives to Exclusion initiatives. £5 million was allocated this year rising to £8 million in 2000-01 and £10 million in 2001-02.

Education

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure residential schools there are in Scotland; what the total number of places available within them is, and what steps it is taking to ensure that supply meets the need for such places.

Mr Sam Galbraith: There are 87 secure places at present in Scotland. Of these, 49 places are in Rossie (near Montrose) and St Mary’s (Bishopbriggs, Glasgow) independent schools. The remainder are in local authority units in Kerelaw, Glasgow, Howdenhall, St Katherine’s, Edinburgh and Rimbelton Young Person’s Centre, Fife.

  We need to look at the use of secure accommodation in the round. An advisory group has been established to help us do this with representatives from the secure units, Directors of Social Work, Children’s Panels, Chief Police Officers, the Prison service and criminal justice interests. One of the key issues to be examined is how best to manage supply and demand for secure places.

Education

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations local authorities have to provide an assessment of needs for school pupils with learning difficulties and at what frequency such assessments should be undergone.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Education authorities have a duty under section 1 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to secure the adequate and efficient provision of school education for their area, including special educational needs. In order to fulfil these duties, authorities must establish which children belonging to their area, who are two years of age or over but under school leaving age, have pronounced, specific or complex special educational needs which require continuing review. They must open and keep a Record of Needs for any such child who, following assessment, is found to have such needs. Once opened, authorities are required to review their decision to open and keep a Record and the information contained in it whenever they think it expedient to do so. As a matter of good practice, reviews should be carried out at least annually.

Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are being made for the pupils of St Thomas Aquinas School, Glasgow to travel to the Woodside site during the rebuilding of their school.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is being made within the plans for the rebuilding of St Thomas Aquinas School in Glasgow for (a) a specific area designated for support for learning; (b) a safe haven area to protect pupils who are being victimised; (c) a shower area for pupils and staff; (d) a language unit for pupils with recognised special educational needs; (e) staff rooms; (f) specific science storage space; (g) specifically designed rooms for the teaching of music, and (h) adequate storage space for musical instruments.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many general purpose classrooms there will be in St Thomas Aquinas School in Glasgow on completion of the new building and whether these rooms will be of the same size as the current rooms.

Mr Sam Galbraith: These are matters for Glasgow City Council.

Emergency Services

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider undertaking a detailed appraisal of cable companies operating 999 emergency services with particular regard to the safe provision of ambulance, police and fire services.

Susan Deacon: This is a matter reserved to the Department of Trade and Industry and Oftel within the UK Government.

  If, however, you have any information that calls into question the integrity of the services provided to our emergency services, I am more than happy to pass that information on to Oftel.

Employment

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in tackling youth unemployment.

Henry McLeish: The number of 18-24 year olds in Scotland claiming unemployment related benefits has fallen by 19% over the last two years to 31,200.

Energy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to obtain information regarding the policies pursued in Denmark to promote renewable energy and in particular those which encourage the use of renewable energy amongst consumers, and whether it will make such information available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Sarah Boyack: The proposals of the Scottish Executive on the promotion of renewable energy were outlined in my answer to S1W-4084 dated 1 February. These proposals are part of the framework established by the UK Government to pursue the target of meeting 10% of GB electricity demand from renewable energy by 2010. This followed an extensive consultation procedure in which many Scottish companies and organisations participated.

  I am always very keen to learn from the experience of others and have met representatives of other countries’ governments and overseas companies to discuss these matters.

Environment

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the locations are of all beaches which have been granted bathing beach status.

Sarah Boyack: Scotland has 60 bathing waters identified under the Bathing Water Directive.

  I have arranged for a copy of a map Bathing Waters Locations. Scotland’s 60 Identified Bathing Waters and the SEPA Report Scottish Bathing Waters 1999 Bathing Water Quality Results to be made available through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  Both the map and the report provide the information you require.

Exports

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Executive is taking to support manufacturing exports.

Donald Dewar: Scottish Trade International (STI), a joint organisation between The Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise, delivers government trade services on behalf of British Trade International in Scotland. Support is provided in the context of The International Challenge, a five year Export Development Strategy for Scotland, the aim of which is to enable companies to achieve greater success in international markets.

  Our success, which has contributed to the vibrant Scottish economy, is reflected by:

  Total manufactured exports which, at current prices, show an increase of 7.8% in the year to the end of December 1999.

  The SCDI Manufactured Goods Survey which shows that Scotland’s share of UK manufactured exports rose to a record 12.3% in 1998-99.

Finance

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1394 by Mr Jack McConnell on 21 September 1999, whether it will provide a full and detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the publication and launch of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government .

Donald Dewar: The total final cost of publication and launch of Making It Work Together: A Programme for Government  (design, photography, printing, Internet web conversion of the text, distribution and costs of the launch at Scottish Power, Cumbernauld on Monday 6 September 1999) was £39,459.07.

Finance

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of all individuals and companies who were involved in the production of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government and how much each was paid.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the tendering processes that were used to ensure the best value in the production of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government .

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Special Advisors played in the production and publication of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government .

Donald Dewar: Ministers, Officials and Special Advisers worked together on all aspects of the preparation of the text of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government and on plans for its presentation.

  Tactica Solutions was awarded the contract for the provision of design, print and publication services to the Scottish Executive based on best value for money and following a tendering process which complied with the European Procurement Directive. The production of Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government, for which Tactica was paid £34,667.78, was subcontracted out, in respect of design work, by Tactica to Navy Blue Design, who in turn further subcontracted out photography work to Nesbitt and Wyllie the preferred supplier.

  Designers and photographers are selected on a project-by-project basis based on their suitability for the job. As the production timetable was short the project did not go out to tender. This is permitted under the procurement rules which allow the use of a sole supplier when it is recognised that that supplier is the best for the job.

  Assistance with the launch was provided by the following companies (costs in brackets):

  


Scottish 

  Power

  

(£383.99)

  



Sound & 

  Vision AV Ltd

  

(£2,219.57)

  



Photobition 

  Scotland

  

(£72.73)

  



ADS Visual 

  Group Ltd

  

(£2,115.00)

Health

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is towards NHS Trust deficits.

Susan Deacon: All NHS Trusts have a duty to ensure high quality patient care whilst maintaining financial balance.

  Should a Trust overspend, it is required in conjunction with its health board to produce a recovery plan that will continue to protect patient care whilst making good its financial position within the next financial year.

Health

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been raised by bequest and public donations to Stracathro Hospital, Angus and how this money has been distributed in each financial year since 1980.

Susan Deacon: I understand from Tayside Health Board that the information which is available on income and expenditure from Stracathro Hospital Endowment Funds is as follows:

  

 

Donations

  

Special 

  Funds

  

Total

  



Year

  

Income 

  £

  

Expenditure 

  £

  

Income 

  £

  

Expenditure 

  £

  

Income 

  £

  

Expenditure 

  £

  



1980-81

  

(2,340)

  

2,246

  
 
 

(2,340)

  

2,246

  



1981-82

  

(572)

  

574

  
 
 

(572)

  

574

  



1982-83

  

(727)

  

748

  
 
 

(727)

  

748

  



1983-84

  

(1,769)

  

1,245

  
 
 

(1,769)

  

1,245

  



1984-85

  

(2,648)

  

2,093

  
 
 

(2,648)

  

2,093

  



1985-86

  

(1,943)

  

3,731

  
 
 

(1,943)

  

3,731

  



1986-87

  

(2,641)

  

1,296

  
 
 

(2,641)

  

1,296

  



1987-88

  

(6,534)

  

426

  
 
 

(6,534)

  

426

  



1988-89

  

(7,762)

  

2,474

  
 
 

(7,762)

  

2,474

  



1989-90

  

(12,348)

  

9,216

  

(1,338)

  

251

  

(13,686)

  

9,487

  



1990-91

  

(21,856)

  

13,725

  

(15,599)

  

912

  

(37,455)

  

14,637

  



1991-92

  

(12,243)

  

11,194

  

(23,366)

  

607

  

(35,609)

  

11,801

  



1992-93

  

(18,606)

  

24,132

  

(18,070)

  

1,295

  

(35,676)

  

25,427

  



1993-94

  

(45,713)

  

35,186

  

(17,889)

  

1,740

  

(63,602)

  

36,926

  



1994-95

  

(35,804)

  

47,033

  

(2,438)

  

50,470

  

(38,242)

  

97,506

  



1995-96

  

(35,276)

  

24,077

  

(4,098)

  

15,114

  

(39,374)

  

39,221

  



1996-97

  

(36,505)

  

26,972

  

(12,281)

  

14,288

  

(48,786)

  

41,260

  



1997-98

  

(38,016)

  

42,755

  

(24,226)

  

27,231

  

(62,242)

  

69,986

  



1998-99

  

(28,136)

  

47,800

  

(69,560)

  

31,782

  

(97,696)

  

78,562

  



TOTAL

  

(312,439)

  

296,923

  

(186,865)

  

143,720

  

(499,304)

  

440,843

  



  Notes:

  Pre-1 April 1994 Stracathro Hospital endowment accounts were part of Tayside Health Board Endowment Fund

  1 April 1994 Angus NHS Trust formed – Stracathro Hospital endowment balance transferred to Angus NHS Trust

  1 April 1999 Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust formed - Stracathro Hospital endowment balance transferred to TUHT NHS Trust

  Figures do not include:

  - shares of relevant Endowment Fund investment income

  - support from General Fund Endowment Account.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to ensure that a comprehensive immunisation programme against flu is in place for the over 65s and vulnerable groups.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive provides funding for flu immunisation and issues guidance in accordance with medical advice on those who would most benefit from vaccination.

  The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is the expert advisory group on vaccination and immunisation to the four UK Health Departments. Their expert advice determines the policy for the flu vaccination programme and that advice recommends that the vaccine is offered to over 75s and other specific vulnerable groups. They do not recommend vaccinating all over 65s. This advice is kept under regular review and is relayed to GPs annually before the time for them to commence flu immunisations.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy will be put in place to alleviate any potential influenza epidemic next year.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether GPs in Scotland will be given access to additional resources to cover equipment and administration costs for the vaccination of patients at risk from influenza.

Susan Deacon: As I made it clear in my statement on 12 January, as part of our continuous improvement of services for patients, the Scottish Executive will review this year’s winter planning arrangements, together with NHS staff, professional bodies and local managers and will consider ways of improving winter planning in future years. This will include consideration of measures to alleviate the potential effects of influenza.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the drug Lysovir will be made available for the provision and treatment of influenza.

Susan Deacon: Lysovir (amantadine) is available on NHS prescription for the prevention and treatment of the signs and symptoms of influenza A. The use of this treatment for an individual patient depends on the clinical judgement of the medical practitioner concerned.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it and the Chief Medical Officer have chosen 75 as the starting age for a free vaccination programme as opposed to the ages of 70 or 65 which exist in other countries.

Susan Deacon: I refer to the answer given to S1W-3687.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it is making to increase the number of intensive therapy units and how many exist per capita compared to the rest of the UK and our EU partners.

Susan Deacon: It is for health boards to determine the number of intensive therapy units required in their respective areas, in light of local needs and circumstances.

  The Report from the Audit Group of the Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG), which was published on Friday 28 January 2000, provides a very positive picture of intensive care in Scotland. It indicates that there are currently around 130 adult general ITU beds in Scotland, excluding coronary care units, neurosurgical ITU beds, cardiac surgical intensive care and paediatric intensive care beds. As I announced in Parliament on 3 February, we will be working with the Society and other relevant interests to examine the implications of the report for future provision.

  Information on the number of intensive therapy units in other EU countries is not available.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the reduction in physiotherapy and occupational therapy outpatient treatment at Ninewells and Stracathro Hospitals will affect patient care.

Susan Deacon: Tayside University Hospital NHS Trust has advised that a combination of staff vacancies and winter pressures has affected its physiotherapy services.

  Physiotherapists at both Stracathro and Ninewells Hospitals are continuing to see urgent or acute outpatients and inpatients who would suffer potential long-term ill-effects from not receiving physiotherapy. Those with non-acute or chronic conditions are added to the physiotherapy outpatient waiting list. Occupational therapy services are busy and are also experiencing vacant posts but I understand the effect on the level of service has been less marked. The Trust indicates that every effort is being made to fill vacant posts.

  Further information is available from the Trust.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether drugs which will help to relieve the symptoms of influenza, such as Relenza, are going to be made available to next year’s sufferers.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answers to questions S1W-1994 and S1W-3790.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3323 by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000, whether the percentage of patients accommodated in mixed sex wards as at 1 December 1999 is now available and, if not, when it is expected to be available.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3323 by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000, to provide the most recent available data on the percentage of patients accommodated in mixed sex wards, broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: Information on the percentage of patients now accommodated in mixed sex wards is not held by the Executive and is not being collected. The 90% figure announced in April 1999 was an estimate based on advice provided by Trusts at that time. It reflected the fact that most Trusts were largely compliant but with a small number of wards which did not meet the criteria. The position is, however, constantly changing, for example, as ward configurations alter and work on eliminating mixed sex accommodation continues. An exercise to obtain an accurate picture of the percentage of patients in mixed sex wards at a set point in time would be time consuming and of limited value.

  Progress is being made towards the elimination of mixed sex accommodation from the NHS in Scotland by March 2002. I have asked for regular updates on the position, with information on the Trusts that are fully compliant and the extent of non-compliance in other Trusts. The first report, in January, confirmed that most Trusts will meet the deadline of March 2002 without difficulty and support is being provided to those with specific problems. £4.2 million over three years has been made available for this purpose.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on target to achieve the elimination of mixed sex wards in NHS hospitals by March 2002.

Susan Deacon: The Executive is on target to achieve elimination of mixed sex accommodation in the NHS in Scotland by March 2002.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to re-establish the Scottish Diet Working Group.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no plans to re-convene the Scottish Diet Action Group .

  Steady progress is being made with implementation of the Diet Action Plan for Scotland, Eating for Health, prepared by the Group in 1996.

  To add further impetus to implementation, the appointment will be made shortly of a national dietary co-ordinator. The co-ordinator’s priority tasks will be to promote action to encourage breastfeeding and to support primary producers, retailers and caterers and others to realise, to the full, their potential contribution to improving Scotland’s diet.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism exists to review the salaries of biomedical scientists in order to bring them into line with those of other professions allied to medicine.

Susan Deacon: Biomedical scientists are not classed as a profession allied to medicine but are rather one of a number of staff groups who have their salaries reviewed annually, by negotiation, through the NHS Whitley Council structure.

Health

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the adult population of Aberdeenshire are registered with an NHS dentist.

Susan Deacon: Information on registrations is only available centrally based on the postcode of dental practices in an area and not by patient postcode. It is not therefore possible to provide accurate information on patients registered in Aberdeenshire Council area as a number of these patients are registered with NHS dentists in Aberdeen City. The percentage of the adult population registered with an NHS dentist in the Grampian Health Board area (which covers Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray) was 49.1 as at 31 December 1999.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to launch NHS Direct in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: A prototype of the Scottish NHS Direct service will begin operation later this year.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are guidelines in the NHS in Scotland regarding time limits for the termination of pregnancies in order to ensure uniformity of provision.

Susan Deacon: The time limits for the termination of pregnancies are laid down clearly by the Abortion Act 1967 as amended by section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. Both these Acts are UK legislation and both are reserved to Westminster. An additional time limit for the medical termination of pregnancy was effectively imposed by the UK Medicines Control Agency in 1991 when it granted a product licence for an antiprogesterone drug to be used in the termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks gestation.

  Health boards have a duty to provide suitable treatment for the termination of the pregnancy of any resident woman who meets the requirements of the Abortion Act. All health boards are aware of the time limits.

Housing

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that the establishment of New Housing Partnerships in the proposed Housing Bill will not disrupt the work of the various national witness protection programmes with regard to resettlement of witnesses.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The work of witness protection programmes should not be affected by proposals for community ownership under New Housing Partnerships. The type and tenure of property currently used varies according to individual circumstances. Where houses transfer out of council ownership, there will be contractual agreements with acquiring landlords which can include arrangements for witness protection programmes.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent in financial years 1997-98 and 1998-99 on stock transfer feasibility studies, how much will be spent this financial year and how much will be spent in each of the next two financial years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The option of transfer to community ownership involves extensive consultation and provision of advice to tenants as well as option appraisals and stock condition surveys. Outturn expenditure on these activities in 1997-98 and 1998-99 was £101,000 and £2,201,000 respectively. In 1999 up to £33 million was earmarked over the period 1999-2002 for possible transfer feasibility and option appraisals, including consultation with nearly 500,000 tenants.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3838 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 2 February 2000, what assistance it will give to housing associations seeking charitable status.

Ms Wendy Alexander: It is for the Inland Revenue to consider applications made to it by housing associations seeking charitable status. I understand it does this on a case-by-case basis. While Scottish Homes is able to provide general advice to housing associations, the full implications of seeking charitable status is a matter for individual associations to evaluate in the light of their own professional advice.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it anticipates proposed changes in housing benefit will have on the financial viability of the proposed Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The UK Government has not to date published any specific proposals for changes in housing benefit.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why tenants and trades union representatives have been excluded from the Glasgow Housing Stock Transfer Steering Group.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Glasgow Housing Partnership Steering Group is preparing a framework within which tenants and trade unions can be fully involved in shaping a transfer proposal. I have met with both tenants and unions but informal consultation will begin as soon as the Group has completed its work.

Housing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has in forthcoming legislation to reform factoring arrangements for the owners of former council housing.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Partnership for Scotland agreement committed the Executive to reviewing the existing arrangements for factoring former local authority houses. Consideration is presently being given to developing a mechanism to achieve this and, as necessary, to effect this in the forthcoming Housing Bill.

Justice

Allan Wilson (Cunninghame North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the methodology employed by the Scottish criminal records office in compiling fingerprint evidence.

Mr Jim Wallace: The terms of reference for a review by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary of the standards and quality of work within the Fingerprint Section of the Scottish Criminal Record Office will be announced shortly. The review will cover the case of Shirley McKie.

Legal Aid

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made to the Scottish Legal Aid Board for assistance in pursuing a non-harassment order; how many such applicants have been granted a full civil legal aid certificate; how many have been offered legal aid "subject to contribution" and how many of these offers have been accepted or rejected.

Mr Jim Wallace: Between 1 April 1999 and 4 February 2000, there were 237 applications for civil legal aid for non-harassment orders or for interdicts involving non-harassment orders. Of these, 88 applications were refused, 134 were granted with a nil contribution, three offers subject to a contribution were accepted, five offers with a contribution were refused and seven offers with a contribution remain outstanding. However, applications for non-harassment orders are often part of another court action such as divorce and the Board does not separately record these.

Minimum Wage

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in Scotland will benefit from the forthcoming uprating of the National Minimum Wage.

Henry McLeish: The Low Pay Commission published a recent report on this reserved issue. They estimate that some 1.5 million people across the United Kingdom stand to gain from the minimum wage, but do not analyse this by country or region. However, Office for National Statistics figures from last year indicated that at least 40,000 low paid workers in Scotland had their pay raised above the national minimum wage rates in spring 1999. It is likely that a similar number of people in Scotland will benefit from the uprating.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-659 by Sarah Boyack on 15 September 1999, whether it will post notices of compulsory purchase orders, statutory notices regarding structure and local plans, and other public notices, on its website or, alternatively, whether it will issue supplements to its Planning Bulletin on a more frequent basis.

Sarah Boyack: Legislation currently provides a statutory framework for the publication of notices by means of press advertisements and individual notification. It would be for those with statutory responsibility for the notice to consider whether there is a need, in addition to the present requirements, to place them on their website.

  The Executive plan to publish a Planning Bulletin Supplement every six months. It will be available on the Scottish Executive’s website and will include details of development plan progress.

Police

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide additional resources to police forensic laboratories.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not provide resources specifically for forensic laboratories. Decisions on the level of resources to be allocated to police forensic laboratories from the overall GAE provided for the police are for Chief Constables to determine, in consultation with their police authorities.

Police

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many female police surgeons are currently employed in Scotland, what percentage this represents of all police surgeons and what measures it intends to take to promote the recruitment of female police surgeons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Police surgeons are not Force employees but their appointments are arranged with the local police boards. Information provided by Forces indicates that, of 163 surgeons currently engaged by the police service in Scotland, 27 are female, which is 16.6% of the total.

Public Appointments

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what salaries and bonus schemes will be offered to the successful applicants for the chief executive posts currently being advertised by water authorities and to what extent, if any, these will be an increase on previous levels.

Sarah Boyack: The exact remuneration packages for the Chief Executives will be a matter for negotiation between the Board of each authority and the successful candidates. The final packages agreed will be subject to Ministerial approval; I have indicated to the authorities that a basic salary of a little above £100,000, with fewer benefits than at present, may be considered as the basis for negotiations with their preferred candidates.

Rural Affairs

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Rural Affairs last met representatives of the Scottish Crofters’ Union and what issues they discussed.

Ross Finnie: I last met officials, officers and members of the Scottish Crofters Union on 1 October 1999 when I visited Lewis. We discussed a wide range of matters including the role and structure of the SCU, the value and nature of crofting, crofting regulation and support and the current difficulties for sheep producers.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what factors contributed to its decision to extend the scope of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute study into the effect on the rural economy of banning hunting with dogs.

Ross Finnie: The original study commissioned by the Scottish Executive has been extended in response to representations received. A sample of businesses supplying the hunts have been sent questionnaires in addition to the hunts and their followers. Further, following representations on behalf of the Scottish Hill Packs Association and Gamekeepers, I have extended the research to include the possible effects on their businesses in the event of a ban on hunting with dogs.

Student Finance

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to exempt Scottish students on specialist courses in England which are unavailable at Scottish institutions from paying tuition fees.

Nicol Stephen: In the programme of proposals debated and agreed in Parliament on 27 January, we explained the exemption from making a contribution to tuition fees from academic year 2000-01 would only apply to Scottish domiciled and EU students attending Scottish institutions.

  In saying that I want to stress that no Scottish student studying in England, Wales or Northern Ireland will be worse off than under the present arrangements.

  We will, however, continue to examine this issue, and others that arise from our proposals, as the work on the detail of the new support scheme progresses.

Transport

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2268 by Sarah Boyack on 22 November 1999, whether it will explain the difference in the cost of providing cycling facilities on the Harthope Viaduct to Coatsgate section of the M74 and the cost of providing cycling facilities on the Millbank J12 to Parkhead section of the M74.

Sarah Boyack: The difference in cost is attributable to the longer length and more extensive works applicable to the Harthope Viaduct to Coatsgate section. In this case new carriageway construction was required to support the cycleway. Within the Millbank to Parkhead section the cycleway was formed on the disused carriageway of the old A74.

Transport

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether access to the Eaglesham Moor Road from the M77 extension will be fully available to all traffic from both directions.

Sarah Boyack: Orders were made on 17 December 1999 which include the power to purchase land to permit a full connection of the existing A77, and thereby B764 Eaglesham Moor Road with the proposed M77 at Kingswell. However, if proposals can be confirmed to construct the Glasgow Southern Orbital at the same time as the M77, then the need for the south-facing slip roads may be reconsidered. In that case these slip roads will not be required at this junction as the strategic east-west traffic would no longer use the Moor Road. Local traffic would be able to use the south-facing slip roads at Fenwick.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to upgrade the A77 at Bogend Toll, Symington, its junction with the A78 junction, Sandyford Toll, Whitletts, and its junction with the A70, A713 and Doonholm Road, and whether indicative timescales exist for the implementation of any or all of these works.

Sarah Boyack: The proposals referred to are among the candidates being considered for improvement in the next two years. We have yet to take decisions on the programme, including timescales.

Voluntary Sector

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being introduced to support the voluntary and community sector.

Jackie Baillie: The SE is actively pursuing a range of measures designed to further its commitment to support the voluntary and community sector.

  These include: implementing the Compact across central government departments and agencies; attracting new forms of financial support; strengthening the council for voluntary service network; completing the local volunteer development agency network; increasing the number of people taking part in voluntary activities, supporting volunteering among young people; and reorganising administrative arrangements within the Executive to give voluntary sector issues a more strategic and high profile focus. On 31 January we launched a major consultation on the Active Communities Initiative and are holding a high level conference about it on 2 March.

Water Industry

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of income for each of Scotland’s three water authorities is derived from (a) revenue from customer charges, (b) external borrowing; (c) public/private partnerships,and (d) EU structural funds for the current year and each year since their creation, where possible giving projections for future years.

Sarah Boyack: Public/private partnership deals undertaken by the water authorities do not generate income for them but result in the authorities paying a tariff to the private consortia concerned for providing value for money services. The following tables show annually for each water authority, charges revenue, new borrowing and EU structural grants.

  £ million

  


North of 

  Scotland Water Authority

  

1996-97

  

1997-98

  

1998-99

  

1999-2000

  



Charges 

  revenue

  

120.2

  

128.0

  

137.8

  

153.0

  



New borrowing

  

65.9

  

48.7

  

46.5

  

46.0*

  



EU Grants

  

0.031

  

0.022

  

0.739

  

0.469

  



  


East of 

  Scotland Water Authority

  

1996-97

  

1997-98

  

1998-99

  

1999-2000

  



Charges 

  revenue

  

162.0

  

173.2

  

194.0

  

236.5

  



New borrowing

  

70.0

  

55.9

  

54.7

  

80.5*

  



EU Grants

  

nil

  

nil

  

nil

  

nil

  



  


West of 

  Scotland Water Authority

  

1996-97

  

1997-98

  

1998-99

  

1999-2000

  



Charges 

  revenue

  

243.1

  

247.4

  

266.0

  

280.0

  



New borrowing

  

83.9

  

62.5

  

71.3

  

95.4*

  



EU Grants

  

0.008

  

0.057

  

0.113

  

0.015

  



  *New borrowings (EFLs) for the current year were adjusted at water authorities’ request to accommodate timing changes in their capital investment programmes. In NoSWA’s case £5 million was deferred to 2000-01 and for ESWA and WoSWA £10 million each was brought forward from 2000-01 into the current year. Indicative EFLs for 2000-01 were adjusted accordingly to £55 million, £66 million and £80.9 million for NoSWA, ESWA and WoSWA respectively.